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Web development teams are likely to turn to JavaScript to provide front-end interactivity in the following situations:

Their existing Web presence requires a more dynamic user experience than can be delivered with basic HTML.

They need to implement a Rich Internet Application (RIA) for a public Web site or intranet and Asynchronous JavaScript and XML (AJAX) was selected as the preferred development framework. Typically, they are drawn to the lightweight or non-proprietary nature of AJAX when compared to heavier alternatives like Java or .NET, or proprietary solutions like Flex or AIR.

JavaScript can be a difficult language to code in because it controls the Web browser through a complex interface called the Document Object Model (DOM), and it also must be tweaked to produce consistent interaction across browser types. Fortunately, there is an abundance of JavaScript libraries that can make it easier to implement.